HALL OF FAME HALL OF FAME - Virginia High School Coaches

Hall of famE
——— Virginia High School ———
2012 23Rd HOF cLass FeatuRes 10 inductees
Nine individuals who have made outstanding contributions to high
school athletic and activity programs have been selected to the 2012
Virginia High School Hall of Fame. Members of the Class of 2012, the
23rd to be inducted, will bring total membership to 234.
The Class of 2012 includes one athlete (Stacy Ervin, Twin Springs
HS), four coaches (Pat Deegan, James Madison HS/Westfield HS,
John Shotwell, James River HS-Buchanan, Robert Smith, Burley HSCharlottesville and Troy Wells, Martinsville HS/Hidden Valley HS) and
four contributors (John Altizer, Appalachian Officials Association, Mary
Sue Crommelin, First Colonial HS, Steve Geiman, Wilson Memorial HS
and Bruce Patrick, Fairfax County Public Schools).
Sponsored jointly by the Virginia High School League and the Virginia
High School Coaches Association, the Hall is dedicated to preserving the
rich heritage of outstanding achievements by students and adults in sports
and activities within Virginia’s public high schools.
Athletes are eligible for consideration 10 years after completion of
their high school careers and are judged primarily for their achievements
in interscholastic sports. Coaches are eligible after 15 years of experience
or upon retirement and are judged on the merits of their achievements at
the high school level. Contributors are professionals who have rendered
significant services in some other capacity such as administration, academic
activities, officiating, media or sports medicine.
COACHES
Pat deeGan
James Madison high School/
Westfield high School
The winningest girls basketball coach in VHSL history with
656 wins, Pat Deegan created powerhouse girls basketball
programs at James Madison HS (1987-2001) and at Westfield
HS (2002-2012). His Madison teams won two Group AAA
state titles; finished runner-up four times; won six Northern
Region Championships and 11 district titles; while also owning
winnings streaks of 56 games (1991-92) and 48 games (1993-94). At Westfield he won one
Concorde District title; and while at Bishop O’Connell (1981-86) he claimed three Virginia
State Catholic Championships and one Washington Metro Catholic Athletic Association
championship. Deegan was named the Disney American Teacher/Coach of the Year in 1994
which was awarded live on national television. His other honors include: WBCA High School
girls All-American All-Star game National Selection Committee; WBCA Chairperson for the
High School All-American game; assistant coach for the 1996 Kodak High School All-American
game and served as the WBCA state representative for high school All-American games. A
graduate of Bishop O’Connell HS in Arlington, he earned a history degree from George Mason
University. He retired this past June and currently resides in Centreville.
John shotWell
James River high School-Buchanan
John Shotwell came to James River High School
(Buchanan) in 1961 and retired in 2011 leaving behind a
50-year legacy that included 173 coaching years and 1,081
career victories in three sports. He was the head golf coach
for 37 years; head boys basketball coach for 31 years and head
softball coach for 21 years. His boys basketball team won 421
games; 12 district titles; four regional championships; made
four final four appearances and finished runner-up twice. His softball teams won 371 games;
claimed 12 district titles, six regional titles and four state championships. His golf team won
289 matches; nine district crowns; one regional title and one state runner-up finish. He was
honored as state coach of the year in boys basketball in 1990 and twice in softball in 2003 and
2011. He also led James River’s softball team to 79 consecutive Pioneer District wins during
one stretch. He also served 25 years as an assistant football coach; 15 years as assistant track
coach; four years as assistant cross country coach; three as head baseball coach and one year
as head girls basketball coach. A native of Roxboro, NC, he earned his undergraduate degree
from Atlantic Christian College in Wilson, NC in 1961. He resides in Buchanan. .
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VHSCA • winter 2013
robert sMith
Burley high School-charlottesville
Robert Smith led Charlottesville’s Burley High School to four
VIA state football championships. His Burley teams compiled a
41-12-5 record; won five district championships; and won 28
consecutive games from 1955-58. His 1956 team not only won
the VIA state title, but did not allow a point the entire year.
Smith came to Charlottesville in 1945 as head football, basketball
and baseball coach at Jefferson High School before moving
onto the newly constructed Burley High in 1951 as athletic director and coach of all sports.
Burley was designed to serve the black students from both Charlottesville and Albemarle
County. While at Jefferson, Smith persuaded a Jefferson band member, 6-3, 225 pound
Roosevelt Brown, to join the football team. Brown went on to a Hall of Fame career with the
New York Giants. Smith left Burley in 1960 to coach football and basketball and St. Paul’s
College in Lawrenceville, VA after compiling an overall high school football record of 114-23-7.
Charlottesville’s Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center was named in memory of Coach Smith. A
native of Patterson, NJ, Smith graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore in 1941.
He passed away on October 21, 1997.
troy Wells
Martinsville high School/hidden
Valley high School
Troy Wells guided Martinsville High School to three VHSL
Group AA basketball championships in 2001, 2002 and 2006
and since 2008, he has taken Hidden Valley High School to
three state tournament appearances, including a state runnerup finish in 2011. He has compiled 250 wins, nine district
championships and seven regional titles. He was voted AP
coach of the year twice; VHSCA coach of the year twice, region coach of the year and district
coach of the year nine times. He also served as assistant basketball coach to Martinsville’s
legendary Robert “Husky” Hall for 16 years (1979-95). During his tenure at Martinsville, the
Bulldogs advanced to the state tournament 17 times and to the final four 13 times. Wells also
served as an assistant varsity boys coach at William Fleming High School (1972-76), head
boys varsity coach at Christiansburg High School (1976-79) and assistant varsity girls coach at
Martinsville (1985-95). He is also the faculty sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
at Hidden Valley. From Greenland, AR, Wells attended Oral Roberts University graduating in
with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1970. He resides in Roanoke.
www.vhscainc.com
CONTRIBUTORS
John altiZer
Appalachian officials Association
John Altizer is recognized as one of the premier officials
in the state as a member of the Appalachian Officials
Association. He has been involved in the lives of studentathletes for over 43 years. He taught middle school for 31
years; started the baseball program at Richlands High School
serving as the head coach from 1976-82, 1985-88; officiated
football for 33 years and basketball for 43 years. He was
selected to officiate six state finals and semifinals football championship games and 17 state
boys and girls basketball games. In addition, he also officiated regional finals or semifinals for
41 consecutive years. Altizer has served as the Appalachian Officials Association commissioner
of football for eight years and commissioner of basketball for 11 years. He also served as
commissioner for eight years before retiring in 2011. During his tenure with the Appalachian
Officials Association, Altizer has been instrumental in implementing a basketball officiating
camp to develop officials for Southwest Virginia; implemented a web based assigning program
for the Association and led an initiative to re-write the boy-laws of the Appalachian Officials
Association to give all stakeholders a voice in the governance of the association. He also helped
develop and fund a scholarship given by the Association to a college bound senior boy and
senior girl each year. A native of Richlands, he graduated from Richlands High School in 1964
and received his bachelor’s of science degree from East Tennessee State University in 1968.
Mary sUe croMMelin
first colonial high School
Mary Sue Crommelin holds a unique position in the
development of high school forensics and debate in Virginia. She
is the matriarch and founder of the VASDDC (Virginia Association
of Speech, Debate and Drama Coaches) and is acknowledged
statewide as the face and voice of Virginia Speech and Debate.
She served as the first VASDDC president in 1992 and it was
her vision to work with the VHSL to provide a unified voice
for Virginia’s forensics coaches. She coached forensics and debate at First Colonial High
School from 1983-2000 and Lincoln-Douglas Debate from 1971-73. Her teams won 13 district
championships, 12 regional championship and three Group AAA championships. She produced
12 individual state champions from 1986-99 and coached over 160 individual winners placing
first through third places at district, region and state tournaments in forensics and debate
from 1984-2000. The Virginia Speech Communication Association named her Speech Teacher
of the Year in 1989. In addition, she served on the ad hoc committee that ultimately revised
and proposed the Forensics Rules Revision that are now currently in place and was the first
to introduce Student Congress as an event at tournaments. She also developed, organized
and led VHSL rating workshops for forensics coaches to become better tournament directors.
Crommelin graduated from Bluefield High School in Bluefield, WV in 1963 and earned her
bachelor’s degree in English from Longwood College in 1968 and her master’s from Regent
University. She resides in Virginia Beach, VA.
ATHLETE
steVe GeiMan
Wilson Memorial high School
For over 30 years, Steve Geiman has been instrumental in
promoting Group A track and field in Virginia. He has directed
and organized over 80 post-season cross country, indoor and
outdoor track meets and has been the Group A state track
meet director for 14 years, in addition to directing the Region
B and Shenandoah District meets. He has also directed Group
AA indoor district meets and Southern Valley and Region III
outdoor meets. He has also directed Region B and Shenandoah District cross country meets for
over seven years. Geiman has been a resource for high school coaches conducting numerous
track clinics. Geiman has also taught and coached at Wilson Memorial High School for 43 years
coaching cross country, outdoor and indoor track. He started the boys cross country program
in 1970 and the girls cross country program in 1979. He has been the head boys track coach
for 37 years and has served as the head wrestling coach since 2003. Geiman is a member of
the Wilson Memorial High School Athletic Hall of Fame and received the VHSL Region B Award
of Merit for athletic contributions. He has also been Group A Track Coach of the Year and was
presented the Walt Cormack Track and Field Award from the VHSCA. He retired from teaching
this past June but will continue coaching at Wilson Memorial. A graduate of Wilson Memorial
High School in 1965, he received his undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University
in physical education in 1969. He resides in Verona.
brUce PatricK
fairfax county Public Schools
Bruce Patrick has served at every level of interscholastic
athletics from assistant coach to state football championship
head coach, director of school wide programs with numerous
district, region and state championships at Mt. Vernon High
School (1973-89); director of athletics for the 12th largest
school system in the country for all of Fairfax County Public
Schools (1989-2003); and serving as an assistant director of
the VHSL (2003-06). He has planned, developed and implemented a number of programs to
improve the interscholastic opportunities for athletes and the management of athletic activities
for students, coaches and athletic directors throughout Fairfax, the Northern Region and the
state of Virginia. As head football coach at Mt. Vernon, his teams won the 1983 state title,
three region titles and five district championships. As the director of student activities and
athletic programs for Fairfax County, he directed programs that served over 2,300 students,
24 high schools and more than 1,500 coaches, in addition to a comprehensive sports medicine
program. With the VHSL, Patrick helped facilitate state tournament events; worked with the
Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and the Coaches Education Committee as well as serving
as an advisor for various boards, committees and member schools. He was awarded the
prestigious VHSL Torch of Honor in 2000 for exceptional service to the state of Virginia and
the NFHS Citation, which is awarded annually to eight athletic administrators across the entire
nation for outstanding service to their state. He has authored and presented more than 60
workshops and articles involving interscholastic activities. He currently works for the Fairfax
County Department of Community and Recreation Services. He graduated from Fairfax High
School in 1969 and earned his bachelor’s degree in history form North Carolina Wesleyan in
1973 and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Northern Colorado in 1979. He
resides in Clifton.
stacy erVin
twin Springs high School
A two-time Associated Press Group A basketball player of the year, Stacy Ervin is the VHSL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,687 points. In addition, he earned
first-team all-state honors as a sophomore, junior and senior as well as Region D and Cumberland District player of the year each of those three seasons. He
was twice named Bristol Herald Courier and Kingsport Times News player of the year. Ervin also owns the state record for most three-point field goals in a
career with 363. His career marks include: 26.3 career points per game; 4.7 rebounds per game and 4.1 assists per game; 442 career free throws made and 580
two-point field goals. He averaged a career-best 32.1 points a game as senior, including a career-high 54 points against Clintwood in the Cumberland District
Tournament. He also scored 40 or more points six times during his career. He began his college career at Western Carolina and transferred to UVa-Wise where
he graduated in 2002 with a degree in business administration. He lives in Mount Carmel, TN.
www.vhscainc.com
VHSCA • winter 2013
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